Mixed Signals
by YoureMyFavoritex
Summary: It began with a message left at a wrong number. It turned into a crazy game of phone tag. But what happens when Lilly meets the boy behind the voice? LillyJoe, other pairings undecided. JONAScrossover. repost. being edited to Joe Lucas. legal.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm back!**

**Well, kind of. It's a trial run, we'll see what happens. I ended up losing all my files when my computer crashed a month ago, but my friend had this saved on her computer, so I have it back. She also had printed out TOB, so fingers crossed that she'll be able to get that back to me soon. I'm posting my stuff both on here and on jonasbrothersfanfictionarchive, once I can actually upload (having some problems at the moment). If stuff of mine gets deleted again, I'm probably gonna definitely stop posting on here, but for now, I'm gotta try to stick with it. **

**ALSO. NOTE TO ANY POTENTIAL REPORTERS. I'm writing this now from the perspective of a HM/JONAS (or whatever the new show is going to be called) crossover. Heck, it may even end up including a little bit of Welcome to Holly(Holli?)wood, Demi's show-in-progress. Who knows. Point is, I'm not writing about the real JB. I'm just writing about television characters. Not my fault they decide to use their own names. And if they decide, in the show, to not use their names instead, I'll go through and change it. haha. yeah. Just thought I'd get that out. And finally, if you DO decide to report me, I'd really appreciate it if you'd give me a warning. It would make you slightly less of a pain, and I'd be that less angry. Trust me. A warning would do wonders. Especially regarding backing up my work and NOT losing it all.**

**So yeah, on to the story! Nothing has been changed, this is just to get back into it. Hope you guys enjoy! **

* * *

"Your answering machine message sucks."

Lilly Truscott turned to her best friend Miley, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

Miley rolled her eyes, pulling out her cell phone and pressing the worn number two. The phone was set to speaker, and the sudden burst of music filled the school cafeteria, 'True to Me' by Metro Station playing loudly from the small electronic. The attention of all the teens eating lunch at the time was immediately drawn to the two girls, and Miley Stewart found it amusing, giggling as she looked around.

Lilly, on the other hand, was mortified. She sunk down into her chair, her cheeks turning a bright pink, and she fixated her glare on the brunette sitting across the table from her. "_Miles_," she hissed, making an attempt to grab the phone.

Miley glanced down at the offending object and grinned. "Not gonna lie, good ringback song. But seriously?" She held the phone out across the table so Lilly could hear better, still keeping it far enough away so that the embarrassed blonde couldn't grab it. The music cut suddenly, and Lilly's monotonous voice replaced it. "_Hey, I'm not here. Here's the beep, you know what to do_."

Miley pressed the End button just as the beep hit the soundwaves, and Oliver, appearing suddenly, slid into the seat next to her. "It's a serious problem, Lilly," he stated, taking a bite of the large slice of pizza

"Do you even know what we're talking about?" Lilly crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at her other best friend.

"Of course. Your lame excuse for an outgoing message. It's kinda sad, Lils. No one can even tell it's you, half the time!"

"Oh yeah? What does yours sound like, Mr. Hotshot?" Lilly shot back, leaning back in her chair and frowning.

Oliver pulled his phone from his pocket and, after messing with the buttons for a minute or two, set it to speaker and held it out for Lilly to hear. "_Smokin' Oken, at your service. Leave your desires after the tone and the Ollie Trolley will try to make all those dreams come true… And yes, Mom, I'll be home for dinner_." The last part was mumbled, and Oliver attempted to close the phone before it was heard, but with the speaker phone setting still on, the girls, as well as all those in the cafeteria, caught every last word.

"And you're on _my _case?" Lilly asked incredulously, unsuccessfully trying to hold back laughter.

"Yeah, well… Everything else is off the hook. Which means I still win… Yeah." Oliver tripped over his words, attempting to stand up for his Mama's Boy message, and Miley doubled over with laughter.

"Oliver," she choked out after catching her breath. "You really aren't helping at all. We need to get Lilly to change her voicemail message in a good way, not show her all sorts of bad examples."

"Hey!" he exclaimed, holding his phone close to his chest. "I have a great message! Great… ish." Miley shook her head. "Good?" Miley shook her head again. "Okay, so mine kinda sucks too, but whatever! That's not what we're here for! Right now is all about Lilly!" Oliver turned to the blonde, who had been watching in amusement, and desperately tried to change the subject. "So, Lilly… Your answering machine message thing… What's up with that?"

Lilly shook her head. "I really don't care. I like it."

"Seriously?" Miley grinned knowingly, and Lilly sighed, running her fingers through her ponytail. "Okay, so I don't necessarily _like_ it, but whatever. It's too much of a hassle to redo it. I never have time."

"Well," Oliver exclaimed, reaching past Lilly and into her backpack, "now's your chance!" He pulled out her phone and opened it, preparing to dial into her voicemail, when his head tilted to the side and a curious look appeared on his face. "I don't know the number, but you've got a missed call and message. Let's see if they can tell who it is!"

Lilly rolled her eyes, grabbing the phone from him. She looked at the number for a moment before shrugging. "I don't know it either." She shrugged again, punching in the password and holding the phone up to her ear. She listened for a moment, her eyebrows narrowing in confusion as time quickly passed.

She looked up to the ceiling, biting contemplatively on her lower lip. Her left hand slipped out onto the table and she began drumming impatiently on the tabletop . Finally, her mouth forming a lop-sided smirk, she pulled the phone away from her ear and pressed four, at the same time setting yet another cell phone on the speaker setting.

Miley gave Lilly a curious look as the automated voice began giving the delivery details, but Lilly just mouthed 'listen,' holding out the phone to her friends. The automated voice finished its lengthy explanation, and a boy's voice suddenly came over the phone.

"_Dude, you sound like a girl… Whoa, it's pretty weird. Anyways, Mikey… dude, I'm sorry, I can't get over that. You sound like a girl! Alright, yeah, so can you come tomorrow? Everything ends around 3, so I'm hoping to get out around 4? I don't know, dude, do you know what I'm saying? Jeez, _I _don't know what I'm saying. It's insanity here! Absolutely non-stop, I'm telling you! The boys are goin' crazy… but I'm chillax, you know? Hah, me and Frank, bein' serious is not our thing! Yeah, so Nick wants to practice more… of course. Dude's got a one track mind. So yeah, gimme a ring, a'ight?_"

The speaker seemed to be fiddling with the phone, but the three teens listening could still hear him talking, seemingly speaking to himself. "He seriously sounded like a girl… Crap, what if that wasn't him?"

Miley raised an eyebrow as Lilly shut her phone off, her gaze locked on the table. "Well, I guess it wouldn't _hurt_ to at least add my name…"

"Damn straight!" Oliver exclaimed, grinning broadly. "Lils, he was leaving a message for a guy!"

"Yeah…" Lilly sighed, tugging on a stray strand of hair before looking up, a glint in her eye as she grinned at Miley. "He sounded kinda hot."

Oliver groaned, quickly standing up from the table as Miley nodded enthusiastically. "And this would be my cue to _leave_." He laughed, rolling his eyes at the two girls who immediately leaned over the table to converse about this 'hot guy' who left Lilly… or Mikey, apparently, a message.

xxx

"_Hey, you've reached Lilly! I'm out doing who knows what, so here's the beep, you know what to do!_"

Miley closed the phone, satisfied with the change. "It's not perfect, but it's something. We'll work on it later. But for now, at least people will know who you are!"

Lilly nodded, grinning at her best friend. "True. But seriously, that guy was just a fluke, a wrong number. It's not like that happens all the time. It's fine, Miles. Not everyone spends hours perfecting their outgoing message!"

Miley rolled her eyes, dipping her head took look into the mirror placed low on her locker door. "Yeah, well," she replied, pushing a strand of hair behind one ear, and nodding, happy with her reflection. "Some people care about how they come off to others. They have reputations to uphold."

Lilly giggled, leaning closer so that she could speak quietly. "Well, _Hannah _does. I get that. But Miley?"

Miley laughed, grabbing a textbook from her locker and shutting the door of it behind her as she turned to face Lilly. "So I like having fun with it! You love doing them with me! If you like making random ones for my phone, what's the problem with having them for yours?"

Lilly shrugged, turning and walking down the hallway, and Miley rushed to keep up with her. "It's just not a priority, I guess. No one calls me, anyways."

"That hot voice guy did!"

Lilly looked over at Miley in amusement, not slowing as she continued talking. "Are you kidding me, Miles? That was a one time thing!"

Miley laughed, slinging her backpack over to her other shoulder. "You never kno-ow!" she exclaimed in a sing-song voice before speeding up and racing down the hall, Lilly hot on her heels.

Lilly finally caught up to the brunette, was now leaning against the chain link fence surrounding the soccer field, making small talk with Hailey, one of the junior varsity girls soccer players. Hailey looked up when Lilly approached them, and a smiled grew on her face.

"Truscott, what's this I hear about some hottie with a… Damn, 'hottie with a voice' doesn't sound nearly as good as 'hottie with a body', does it?" Hailey looked up for a minute, contemplating this discovery, before shrugging. "Ah well. Anyways, I hear you got a cutie on the phone line!"

Lilly hoisted her backpack further up onto her shoulders, throwing a quick but deathly glare at Miley before turned back to Hailey and giving her a weak grin. "Not quite. Just a guy with a nice voice called and left a message… Wrong number, nothing big. _Miley,_" she spat, rolling her eyes towards her best friend, "just likes to blow everything out of proportion."

Hailey laughed. "I see how it is. At any rate, some boy with a shexy voice left a message on your phone. Gotta love that! Did you save it?"

Lilly looked to the ground, he cheeks suddenly flooding with color. She mumbled something under her breath, and Miley turned to her, amusement playing on her features. "What was that, Lilly? I didn't quite catch it."

"I said, yeah, I saved it," Lilly replied, her tone still quiet. Miley grinned, reaching over and high-fiving Hailey. "Who called that one!" Miley's grin grew when she caught sight of Lilly looking to the ground, a small smile playing on her lips. "C'mon, lover girl, let's go." She slung an arm around Lilly's shoulders, steering her away from the fields.

"See you later, Hail!" she called out, before turning back to the blushing blonde walking next to her. "Aw, Lils, you're so cute!"

"It's only 'cause you kept pushing it," she muttered, her eyes fixated on the sidewalk in front of her. Lilly pulled her phone out of her pocket flipping it open and staring at it before shutting it and putting it back away. "Stupid cell phone, doesn't get service anywhere." Miley looked over, suppressing a giggle, and the conversation quickly ended.

They walked in silence for awhile before Lilly began to giggle. It started quietly, then grew in decibel level until Lilly was clutching her stomach, grasping for air.

Miley took a step away, an eyebrow raised. "Are you okay, Lilly?"

Lilly nodded, gasps still escaping her mouth. "It's just so weird!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Everything!" Lilly shrugged, throwing her arms up in the air. "This whole thing! It's just completely obscure! Just some random wrong number, and we're making it out to be like the hottest guy in the world called for me personally! It's just weird. I mean, it's not like it's gonna be a freaking Jonas Brother, or something! Guys with good voices can be absolutely hideous… and _seriously!_ It's not like I'm ever gonna meet this mystery guy! Jeez, what is going on?" Lilly had caught her breath, but now was ranting and pacing, almost as if she were talking to herself.

"Those boys do have gorgeous voices… And faces…" Miley interjected, gazing dreamily off into the street. Lilly smiled, nodding in agreement for a moment before shaking her head, pulling herself back into the present moment. "That's not the point! What I'm talking about is that nothing is ever going to come of this random kid leaving some random message on my phone!" Lilly sighed, shrugging. "And we've got to get past it."

She nodded determinedly and took a step forward, preparing to continue down the street, when her phone beeped. "Service!" Lilly exclaimed somewhat giddily, and Miley couldn't help but laugh. Lilly flipped her phone open and pressed a few buttons to check her missed calls, texts and voicemails, which is what the beeps often notified for.

Lilly stopped in her tracks, staring down at the cell phone in her hands. Miley had continued walking, and by the time she noticed Lilly wasn't next to her, she was a good half a block in front of her. The brunette turned around, tilting her head to the side as she watched Lilly continue to look at her phone screen. "Lilly, what's up? Come on!"

Lilly looked up, a hesitant smile pushing its way to the surface. Her lower lip was caught between her teeth, and she took one more confirming glance down at the phone, before looking back up at Miley.

"He called again."

* * *

**There you go! We'll see what the response is, too. I mean, I **_**have**_** been slightly MIA lately. So review if you'd like! But certainly don't feel obliged. It's just nice to know people are reading, whether they review of not. haha. and review/PM me if you have any questions for me! Just, like... randomly... haha.**

**OH. And by the way... You Creepin'? ;) haha.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the wait! School and life in general has been kinda hectic. But here's the next chapter! Thanks so much for the reviews and everything, guys. It's great to know I've still got readers!**

**Oh, and by the way, I am aware that JONAS is now the name of the street on the show, and they have new names. I haven't decided yet if it's gonna be a crossover (meaning I'd change the names) or stick to my beliefs that I'm using them from HM. I don't know yet. I'll get to it when I get to it. :)**

Miley rolled her eyes as Lilly paced back and forth in the brunette's bedroom, repeatedly bumping her knee against the bedpost. She winced each time, but the pain was overlooked as her attention was fully consumed by the small silver object in her hand.

Lilly flipped the phone open, and her fingers danced hesitantly over the keys before snapping the cell shut, the look she gave Miley blatantly showing her nerves. "Why am I so freaked out?" Lilly asked, collapsing onto the bed.

"Uhm, because some 'hot voice guy,'" Miley replied, using air quotes, "called your phone twice… I don't know!"

Lilly shrugged, running her hands through her hair. "I mean, it's not like he's actually calling me. He's probably just leaving another message for Mikey, or whoever." She pulled her legs up into the bed, her arms reaching out and wrapping tightly around her knees. Lilly rested her chin atop her knees, and her head bobbed as she continued talking. "There really isn't any reason to be freaking out or anything. You know, he thinks my voice mail message sounds kinda like him, so I guess…" Lilly's head shot up, and she looked at Miley, wide-eyed.

A slow grin grew on Miley face, and she nodded slowly. "You changed it." Lilly continued to gape, and Miley stood up, somewhat excited now. "And he still left a message. Which means he's either _completely _clueless…" Miley rolled her eyes at the possibility, because, you know, he _was_ a boy. "Or it's a message for you!"

The corners of Lilly's moth began to curl up in the slightest hint of a smile, but she apparently wasn't moving fast enough for Miley, who was by her side instantly, attempting to pry the phone from Lilly's grip of steel.

Miley gave up after about a minute of struggle, and gave a loud sigh, trying to convey to Lilly her frustration. It took another three deep exhales before Lilly turned slightly toward the brunette, eyebrow raised in amusement. "Yes?"

"For goodness sake, Lilly, just listen to the damn message!" Miley exclaimed, jumping from the bed in excitement. "C'mon, Lils, what do you have to lose?"

"The illusion? All the fantabulous concepts that my mind has conjured up?" Lilly looked down at the phone, still nestled safely in her right hand, her fingers closed tightly around it. "Seriously, Miles. This message could easily be, like… 'Oh, yeah, wrong number, sorry about that.' And, I don't know… I just don't think I could deal with that. I like the ideas that have started to form… For all we know, listening to the message will just shatter all the fantasies." Miley giggled at that point, and Lilly shot her an annoyed glare, which immediately shut her up. "Not like _that_, Miley, c'mon! Ugh, sometimes you're just like Oliver."

Miley crossed her arms over her chest, scoffing loudly. "I am not 'just like Oliver'! I am nothing like him!" She smirked suddenly, her eyes flickering down to the phone for a moment before she looked back up at Lilly. "I just want to hear the message!"

"Fine." Lilly gave up, slightly exasperated, and opened the phone. She dialed into her voicemail, and listened for a moment, quickly punching in her password. She held the phone about an inch away from her ear as the animated voice gave the calling information before announcing the 'first new voice message'. At that, Lilly tossed the phone to Miley, whose quick reflexes allowed her to snatch the phone out of the air, right in front of her face. "I can't do it," Lilly declared, turning a bit pale.

Miley rolled her eyes, holding the phone up to her ear to listen. If Lilly wasn't planning on listening to the message anytime soon, that didn't mean she couldn't. As his voice continued on the other line, Miley's smirk grew into a genuine smile. She let out a laugh at one point, and shook her head in amusement.

Lilly leaned towards Miley, her curiosity taking over. At this point, Lilly couldn't wait to hear what he had to say. If it was entertaining Miley, it had to be good.

"Aw!" the brunette exclaimed as she pulled the phone away from her head. "He is too cute! Lilly, seriously, take it. You've got to listen to this." Miley pressed the 4 on the cell phone before holding it out to the blonde.

Lilly instantly held the phone up to her ear, tucking her legs underneath her. A smile lit up her face as his voice came through the speaker.

"_Hey dude, what's… Wait. Lilly? So… not Mike. Uhm… Crap… Okay, so yeah. Uhm, hey. I'm really sorry. I must have gotten the wrong number… twice? Wow. Uhm… Well, I'm Joe. And, you know… I mean, I don't normally leave random messages on random people's phones… But now I feel bad. For leaving Mikey's message on your phone. I don't know. Jeez, I'm gonna kill him for giving me the wrong number. Alright, so yeah, my name's Joe and–_"

The voice cut suddenly, as a loud _CRASH_ echoed through the earpiece. Lilly found herself giggling as an annoyed muttering could be heard on the other end. She barely made out 'Frankie… Webkinz… Die', and could hardly contain her fit of laughter.

"_Sorry about that. My little brother and his toys… Ugh. And now my shin hurts… Crap. Is that blood? Great, I'm bleeding. Okay, I'm really sorry… Lilly, right? Wow, you must think I'm an absolute idiot. I'm not. Well, my brothers say I am, but that's not the point! I'm not. I swear. So yeah. This is an absolutely horrible apology message. So I'm gonna hang up now. And call you back later. When I'm more 'composed'. Oh yeah, how's that for some sick vocabulary? Uhm, because you deserve a nice, polite message for putting up with my Mikey message… and this bad boy too. So I'll call you again. Unless that's weird? Oh well. Plus, you sound cute… DIDN'T SAY THAT! Okay, leaving now._"

The message ended with a loud beep, and Lilly's finger immediately reached for the nine button. There was no way that this message was not being saved. Forever and ever and ever…

"Lils?" Miley shook her shoulder, pulling her from the mini fantasy. "Cute, huh?"

"Yeah," Lilly replied, still dazed. A 'cute voice guy' called and left her a message. _Her_, Lilly Truscott. Normal, average, everyday girl. And he promised to call her back. And he said she sounded cute.

"Eep!" Lilly's hand flew to muffle her squeal, and she turned, giving Miley a guilty look.

"Don't look at me like that! Go ahead! You have every right in the world to be excited. He sounds absolutely adorable. Go crazy!" Miley laughed, sprawling backwards on her bed and resting her head on the fluffy pillows located there. "Not gonna lie, Lils. You are one _very_ lucky girl. Not that many guys would be that considerate. I mean, calling you and leaving you a message to apologize for calling the wrong number and leaving a message for someone else? And then deciding that his message wasn't good enough, and saying that he'd call _again_, that's three times, by the way, to apologize better?"

Lilly giggled, flushing as she twirled a lock of hair around her index finger. "Yeah…" Her voice was soft and much quieter than the usual Truscott voice, and Miley sat up, grinning cheekily at her best friend.

"Aw! You're so cute!" She wrapped her arms tightly around Lilly, who leaned in, laughing lightly. "And did I forget to mention he sounds absolutely _gorgeous_?" Miley pulled away a bit, smirking at the blonde, the comment causing Lilly's blush to deepen even more, as if that was at all possible.

"Miles," Lilly replied, trying to keep a clear mind. It was very likely nothing would come of this. Plus, it wasn't like Lilly was going to go meet this kid. She knew how dangerous that could be. Lilly's mom has forced way too many internet predator and pedophile documentaries and articles on her, and Lilly was now incredibly scared of that happening to her in any possible way. Not that Lilly couldn't have a little fun in her own world, imagining what this guy was like…

"Miles," she repeated. "How can you even tell that? I mean, plenty of guys at our school have great speaking voices but their looks leave much to be desired."

"Oh yeah?" Miley raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest defiantly, daring Lilly to continue. "And who might those guys be?"

"Well, there's… You know… I mean… Fine. I can't think of any off the top of my head. But there _are_ some! I know it!" Lilly groaned in frustration. "Miles, just don't get my hopes up, okay? I know nothing's going to come of this, and it's kinda killing me that we keep talking about it, alright? It's not safe, anyways, and… I mean… Ugh!" Lilly threw her hands up in the air, falling back onto the bed simultaneously. "He just sounds so cute!"

"I know, Lils, I know." Miley reached out, rubbing her should sympathetically. "Hey, at the very least, you have his next message to look forward to!" Lilly opened her mouth to protest, but Miley held up a hand, instantly quieting her. "I know, I know, nothing will come of it, but c'mon! You can imagine! One more little message isn't gonna hurt. If anything, it'll give you more to daydream about!"

Lilly shrugged. "Yeah… I guess. I don't know. We'll see. Whatever." She sighed, standing up and taking a few steps towards the bedroom door. "I'm gonna go get something to eat. You want anything?"

Miley shook her head. "No, go ahead. I'll be right down, I just need to check something." Lilly nodded, and continued towards the door, exiting the room and making her way down the stairs.

Once she was sure she was gone, Miley walked over to her night table, where Lilly had left her phone. She grabbed it, opening it to Calls, and set it face up on the bed. She then grabbed her special, rhinestone covered celebrity prized possession, and pressed a few buttons on that as well, bringing it to the internal phonebook.

She scrolled down the phone numbers until she found the one she was looking for. Once she saw it, she grabbed Lilly's phone off the bed. Her gaze switched from phone to phone for a moment before her eyes widened and she began nodding excitedly. It was exactly what she had thought, and she couldn't believe that Lilly hadn't thought of it herself. The boy certainly gave enough hints!

_Oh yes_, Miley though, grinning to herself. _Lilly certainly is a _very _lucky girl._

* * *

**Chapter two! Chapter three should be up sometime Friday (today, I guess? haha). Hope you all enjoy! Reviews and PMs are much appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey, it's- _Miley! Stop!_- Hi, you've reached- _Huh? Ugh, fine, okay?- _Yo, sup, it's- _What now?Miles!-_ Like, omigosh! For reals?- _C'mon, stop! Fine, I give up.- _Lilly. Message. Beep. Go for it."

"Are you kidding me, Lilly?" Miley exclaimed, shutting the cell phone in frustration. "You understand you completely suck at this, right?"

Lilly turned, fixing her glare on the brunette lying on the beach towel next to her. "Yeah, I kinda figured when you interrupted me _every time I tried to talk_. But, you know, that's just me. Maybe it wasn't as obvious to everyone else."

Miley rolled her eyes, giggling. "Hey! I was trying to help you out! I mean, even all your openings were absolute crap! You needed some coaching!"

"It didn't help," Lilly muttered, pulling the phone out of her tote and tossing it from one hand to the other. "_Obviously_."

"Hey, Lilly!" The two girls looked up towards where the voice had come from, and laughed as they saw Oliver come tripping down the sandy boardwalk. He stumbled a few more times before coming to a stop in front of Lilly and Miley, out of breath. "Lilly…" he gasped before holding up his index finger as to saw he needed a moment. He bent over, hands on his knees, and took a few deep breaths before straightening up, raising his eyebrows at Lilly.

"What?"

"I've been looking for you everywhere!" Oliver replied, throwing his hands into the air. "I stopped by your house to see if you were around, and somehow, your mom roped me into finding you and telling you…"

"Yeah?" Lilly prompted, pushing herself up so she was resting on her elbows.

"Tell you…" Oliver looked up, as if the words he was searching for were written in the sky. He fidgeted, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he tried to think. "Uhm… Uh… Lil, I swear, I remember! Jeez, if you had only just answered your freaking cell phone! Speaking of which, nice outgoing message. Psh. And you make fun of me. But yeah, anyways, if you had just answered! I must have called you at least five or ten times. Do you have it on silent or something? Or do you just like screening your calls and avoiding talking to me? I bet that's it!"

Oliver continued to rant as Lilly tuned him out, realizing that she had, in fact, set her phone to silent. She flipped it open, a message of numerous missed calls greeting her. She laughed, rolling her eyes as she scrolled down, Oliver's phone number flashing repetitively on the screen. She had counted 8 missed calls from the doughnut himself before passing a number that had become oh so familiar to her.

She froze, keeping her gaze on the phone before slowly pressing the up arrow with her thumb, returning to the single missed call that did not read 'Idiot'. A slow, silly smile worked its way on to her face, and she looked at the screen, debating whether or not to look and see if he had left a message. If he did, it would completely make her day. But if he hadn't… Well, she didn't want to get her hopes up just to allow them to come crashing down, taking her with them. She bit her lip, the grin still plastered on her face.

"Ooh, someone got a call from 'Hot Voice Guy'!" Miley exclaimed in a sing-song voice, catching a glimpse of Lilly's expression. Oliver turned to the brunette, eyebrows furrowed. "Huh wha?"

"Wait, did we not tell you?"

Oliver shook his head, a confused look crossing his face. "I mean, I was there when you got a wrong message from a supposedly 'hot voice' guy, but… You're actually talking to him now?"

Lilly shook her head, half participating in the conversation. "Not really…"

"No, she's not," Miley verified. "He called again, after she changed her voicemail, and realized he had left, and was going to leave, a message at the wrong number, so he tried to apologize… And what happened, Lils?" Lilly stayed silent, giving a small shrug of her shoulder as she toyed with the phone, and Miley rolled her eyes. "Anyways, something happened, and he said he would call again because the apology sucked… something along those lines. And he thought she sounded cute."

Oliver stared at Miley, still trying to piece together the sudden rush of information that had been thrown at him. "Okay?"

"Ooh!" Miley squealed suddenly, sitting up and turning towards Lilly. "You guys can be Cute Voice Couple!"

Lilly didn't react, but Oliver gave the brunette a disgusted look. "Girls and their nicknames," he muttered, shaking his head. "Lilly, just call your mom. I can't remember what it was about, sorry. But I'm gonna leave before I get brainwashed into talking more about this guy and his 'dreamy voice'."

He waited for a response, but was rewarded with complete silence from the two girls seated in front of them. Lilly was dialing into her voicemail, and Miley had sidled up next to her, leaning closer to try and hear the message as well. Oliver gave a defeated sigh and turned, trudging back up the boardwalk, in the direction of Rico's, the girls completely oblivious to the fact.

"What'd he say? What'd he say!?" Miley needled, bouncing slightly on her knees. She was being impatient, she knew, but she thought this ongoing thing between Lilly and… _him_... was so cute. And tha fact that Miley knew who it was made her even more anxious.

"Hold on, Miles!" Lilly exclaimed, leaning away from her hyper best friend. "I'm listening to my mom's first. I'll put it on speaker when I get to his, alright?" Miley nodded, muttering a sarcastic "yeah, fine, whatever," that did not go unnoticed by Lilly. The blonde turned to her, an eyebrow raised, and Miley held her hands up. "Sorry!"

Lilly laughed and returned to listening to the message for a moment before pulling it away from her ear and quickly pressing 7. "I have to go pick up some things at the grocery store for dinner. You want me to give you a ride home?"

"Lilly," Miley replied, amused at the sheer excitement Lilly displayed over this small chore, as most would see it. Ever since Lilly had gotten her license a month ago, she had been ecstatic to take the car anywhere she could, and was eager to do anything that her mom asked of her, as long as it included driving. "Lilly, I live a minute from the beach, _walking_. I honestly doubt I need a ride home."

"I know, but… Come on, don't you want to take a spin in my caaaaar?" Lilly whined, pouting. "It's so prettyful… and purple!"

Miley rolled her eyes. "You understand that I'll be in the car for less than thirty seconds, right?"

"And I'm okay with that!"

"Fine." The two girls stood up, grabbing their beach towels and totes as they began to walk towards Lilly's prized possession. "And 'Hot Voice Boy' message?"

Lilly giggled, reaching into her bag and fingering the silver cell phone. "In the car, okay?"

xxx

"Do it, Lils." Miley turned in her seat, unclipping the seat belt and allowing it to zip back into its original position. Lilly had parked her little purple car in front of the Stewart household, and now held her cell phone in her hands, attempting to dial into her voicemail as calmly as possible. Instead of confusion, like the first message she had received from the mystery boy, or nerves, like the second time she had missed his call, all she felt was complete and utter excitement. Lilly didn't quite understand the effect that just this boy's voice had on her, but the second he began talking through the phone, her stomach filled with thousands of butterflies, each set of wings beating furiously amongst one another.

"_So, Lilly, it's Joe… Again .Just calling, you know, to say hi… Uhm… Changed the voicemail thing again, I see? It's confusing… I like it! But yeah, uhm… Oh yeah! So I am so very sorry for calling you twice looking for Mikey. Don't worry, I found him and gave him a nice little hair ruffling… Scarred him for life. So don't worry, he won't be giving out your number anymore! You're very welcome, don't even worry about it, it was my pleasure. Uhm, yeah, so my name is Joe… as you already knew, so yeah, let me just seem even stupider… Uh… I just turned eighteen. I am supah fly and dangah is my middle name! Yeah. For real. I know, everyone at the hospital thought my parents were crazy. Even me. Yep, little baby me, cute as a button, was all 'Yo! Moms! What's up with the wack middle nizame? I LOVE it!'… Okay, by now I'm sure you have figured out that I'm lying. My middle name is not Dangah… unfortunately. I like to think it is, though. So yeah. I'm gonna go now. Before I embarrass myself further. But honestly, Lilly… Can I call you Lil? Lil-lay? Lils? Lilster? Lililililililly? Alright. So much for that 'before I embarrass myself further' plan. But yeah. What I was going to say was, honestly, I hope you don't think I'm a complete sketch. Cause I don't normally leave messages on random girls' voicemails. I mean, I usually know the person. But there's just something about y–_"

The machine beeped, cutting of his long rant about why, exactly, he was continuing to leave her messages. Lilly giggled, her eyes focused on the phone. She quickly saved the message before turning off the speaker setting and closing the phone, tossing it into the empty cup-holder. She turned to Miley, who quickly covered the knowing grin. "Hmm?"

"He seems cute," Lilly explained decisively, glancing down once more at the phone resting precariously in the holder.

"He seems familiar," Miley replied, willing Lilly to start piecing the puzzle together. Lilly just shrugged, turning back to the steering wheel. "I don't know. I don't think I've ever met anyone with a voice that freaking incredible."

"Well, I mean, a lot of celebrities have voices like that. Hasn't Lola met some hot voice guys with Hannah?" Miley felt a sudden onrush of different emotions, ranging from frustration due to Lilly's complete obliviousness, to amusement, because, as much as she wished the blonde knew just who she was hearing from every few days, her reactions to his obscure, off –the-wall messages we absolutely hysterical, and way too cute.

Lilly shrugged again, drumming her fingertips on the leather wheel. She slid her palms over the material, contemplating what Miley was saying. "I don't know. I guess. Yeah, I mean, the Jonas boys… they have kind of amazing voices, but that's a given. So I don't know… I mean, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've never known a guy in _real_ life, not Hannah life, who had a voice like him, or a personality like him, for that matter. For goodness sake, all the boys around here are freakin' wet blankets compared to this kid!"

Miley laughed, nodding in agreement as she slowly opened the door to get out of the car. "Yeah, true… Well, have fun running errands, you lucky duck! And call me later, okay?" Miley shut the car door behind her as Lilly nodded, and waved before taking off down the walkway towards the front door.

xxx

"_Got my six-string on my back, don't need anything but that, everything I want is here with me. So forget that fancy car, I don't need to go that far, what's driving me is following my dreams…_"

Lilly pulled through the semi-private neighborhood, taking the short-cut home, and sang along to the Camp Rock song, albeit badly. It had been on constant repeat for the past week or so, and Oliver had threatened her life more than once because of the amount of times she had forced him to listen to it. Lilly took advantage of when she was alone, whether it was in her room or in the car, to listen to the songs that got on everyone else's nerves.

She turned the corner, the Connect 3 song still blaring from the speakers. She had her windows rolled down, and laughed loudly as the car rolled down the 15 miles-per-hour road. It was just what being on the road did to her, whether it was traveling slowly on a private road or speeding down the highway. She reached down to turn the music up a bit when something small, bright and furry flew across her windshield.

Lilly shrieked, stomping hard on the brake, and nearly sent herself through the glass. The thought that she may have just killed an animal made her unbelievably sick to her stomach, and she took a few deep breaths before slowly turning off the car and stepping out onto the pavement. She took a few shaky steps before bending down and nervously reaching out and poking… a rhino? She let out a breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding, and picked up the bright blue Webkinz in her right hand. She giggled, finding the scare that the small stuffed animal had caused somewhat humorous.

"I am _so_ sorry!" Lilly's thoughts were interrupted, and she stood up, turning to look at a boy quickly approaching her. He seemed to be about a year or two older than her, his eyes covered by a pair of extremely big sunglasses. He was wearing a large zip up hoodie, most likely from American Apparel, and the hood was pulled up as well, coving all but the brim of a baseball cap that seemed a bit big for the boys head. "I am so sorry, my brother, he… well…" he repeated, giving her an apologetic look. He turned back towards the yard he had come from, and tried to wave someone over. "Buddy, c'mon and thank…" He looked back at Lilly, raising an eyebrow, and she giggled.

"Lilly," she prompted, and his eyes seemed to widen for a split second (though she couldn't quite tell, as they were hidden behind the massive frames), before shaking his head, pulling him back into the moment.

"Sorry, what?"

"Lilly, my name's Lilly." She held out a hand, and he reached out, seeming to be shaking it in a daze. "I'm J… Adam."

"Jadam?" She couldn't help but laugh, and he grinned, her laugh seeming to be the sole cause of it. "Sorry, yeah, uh, Adam. I'm Adam." She nodded, giggling again, and he stared at her for a minute before turning back in the direction on of the lawn. "Come on, Tank. Say thank you to Lilly and come get your rhino… What's his name again?"

A small head suddenly peeked out from behind the large oak tree by the driveway, catching Lilly off-guard. She could only see his hair and one eye, but she could hear his muffled voice surprising loudly. "His name's Pebbles."

"Why's that?" the older boy asked, toying with the stuffed animal.

"I don't know, it just is, okay?" The younger boy seemed to be getting antsy, and he looked nervously at Lilly for a second before looking back at his brother. "Just bring him inside, okay?" The little boy then turned around, and, without another word, ran towards the front door and into the house.

'Adam' turned back around to face Lilly. "Sorry about him. I'm pretty sure he was just embarrassed. He's not normally one to throw stuffed animals at cars and all."

Lilly shrugged. "It's fine. I mean, I _did_ kinda run over his toy." The older boy laughed, looking down at the rhino. "Doesn't look like much damage, so it should be fine."

Lilly giggled, nodding as she walked back over to the driver's side of the car and slid in, leaving her window rolled down as she shut the door. "Well, it was nice meeting you, and tell him I am _very_ sorry, alright?"

He nodded, stepping to the side of to road and waving as she drove away. She watched him through her rearview mirror until she had turned the corner, finally out of sight of the attractive older boy. _You know,_ she thought to herself, smiling as she reached over and turned the volume back up. _He seemed so familiar.._.

xxx

Joe watched as the girl drove away before turning and walking the path that Frankie had just taken. There was no way that this Lilly was _the_ Lilly, the phone girl Lilly. It had to have just been a coincidence. Though, he had to admit, she sounded at least a little bit familiar. As he approached the front door, taking the stone steps two at a time, he turned, taking one last glance down the road, but she was gone. Sighing to himself, he went to open the door when he was interrupted.

"She was pretty." Joe looked down, laughing when he saw Frankie's face pressed up against the mesh of the screen door, his hands up against the webbing on either side of his head.

He nodded, leaning back against the door frame, careful not to push against his younger brother. "Yeah, she was."

* * *

I'm back! ...ish. This story has turned into a HM/JONAS crossover, with Jonas turning to Lucas. If you want to original with the JONAS Brothers, that is being posted over on the JBFFA boards. I'm also hoping to get a Jonas/OC story up over there sometime as well, so check that out if you're interested. I'm still working on getting TOB back, but it hasn't been looking very good for the past few months. Anyways, I'm probably just rambling, I'm guessing my 5+ months of hiatus have lost me most of my readers? Oh well. Review if you're reading, and let me know! I've really missed you guys!

Anna


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm glad some of you guys are still reading, and thanks so much for the reviews. You all are the best. Hope this (repost) is up to expectations! More will come soon :)**

* * *

Lilly's fingers drummed impatiently on the steering wheel as she stared up at the stop light, daring it to change to green. She had gotten about halfway to the beach that morning when she realized that she was scheduled to work that day, and was supposed to be at With A Cherry On Top by noon. She checked the digital clock on the dashboard and groaned. 11:56. At this rate, she'd never get to work on time.

Just as Lilly looked up from the clock, the light flashed a bright green, and she stepped hard on the gas, going just a tad over the legal speed limit as she drove down the road, pulling into the small staff parking lot out back as the clock blinked 11:59. She ran by Dan, her manager, as she sprinted through the door marked 'Employees Only.'

"You're late, Lilly!"

"Not yet, Dan!" She laughed, pointing up at the clock up on the wall, the second hand ticking mere inches away from 12. In one quick swoop of her hand, she swiped her employee card, the time stamped reading exactly 12 o'clock, and grabbed a spare staff shirt from the basket. Pulling it over her head, Lilly pushed through the second set of doors and grinned at Grace, who was already bent over the oversized freezer, struggling to carve out a large scoop of chocolate. Grace laughed, straightening up for a minute and rolling her eyes at the blonde. "Late again?"

"Nope!" Lilly replied enthusiastically, making her way around the freezer and over to her window, sliding the screen open. "Right on time!" She looked out, a friendly smile gracing her face. "I can help whoever's next!"

xxx

Lilly sighed, dropping the ice cream scoop into the container of water and rubbing her upper arm. She looked up at the clock, watching the seconds tick away until it hit three o'clock. "Going on my break now!" She turned, waving at Grace over her shoulder before walking out and into the staff lounge. Lilly let herself collapse on the couch, grabbing a water bottle from the cooler and pulling her cell phone out of her pocket. She looked at it, took a long swig form the Poland Springs, then looked back down at her phone. She couldn't explain why, but part of her was dying to call him back. Phone Guy. Joe.

As usual, her stomach filled with butterflies at the mere thought of the boy on the other end of the phone line. Though she had heard him actually speak, and gotten an idea of who he was, he only had her lame outgoing messages to rely on. It was the idea that he might actually be interested in what Lilly was actually like that was pushing her to give him a call back. Her one worry was that he might actually pick up. She had no idea what she would do if she was to hold a conversation with him. She got nervous enough just thinking about leaving him a message; she couldn't even imagine what she'd be like physically speaking to him, one-on-one, instead of one-on-answering machine.

As she contemplated her options, the staff lounge door swung open and Lilly looked up to see Grace walk in, rubbing her forehead. "It's crazy out there…" The redhead drifted off, giving Lilly a weird look. "What's with the phone?"

Lilly gave Grace a lopsided smile, and lifted the cellphone up with her right hand. "Joe."

"Who?" Grace raised an eyebrow, sliding onto the couch next to Lilly, and crossed her arms. "Who is this Joe person, and why have I not heard about him?"

Lilly giggled, flushing. "I forgot to tell you about him?"

Grace nodded.

"Right… Well, this guy called my phone, wrong number and all, and long story short, he's called a few times and left a few messages, but not for the guy he meant to call, but for me. I don't know, Miley and I think he sounds pretty hot. Anyways, yeah, and his name's Joe." Lilly shrugged. "That's about it."

"Girl!"Grace exclaimed, lightly pushing on Lilly's shoulder. "Don't leave me in the dark! Come on, details!"

"You might just be better off hearing it yourself." Lilly opened the phone, dialed into her voicemail, and held it up to Grace's ear, holding in laughter at her reactions to the messages left by Joe.

Finally Grace shut the phone and turned to look at Lilly, amusement apparent in her eyes. "You have that boy wrapped around your finger. And you've never called him, he's only called you?" Lilly nodded, a tint of pink appearing in her cheeks. "Wow. I would kill for this. You really need to call him."

"Grace!" Lilly exclaimed, shaking her head in determination. "No way! You've seen how I am around good looking guys! So not gonna happen. If he picked up, I would make a complete fool out of myself!"

Grace laughed, rolling her eyes. She was three years older than Lilly, and Lilly, as well as Miley, who also worked with the two, always seemed to come to her with her boy dilemmas. Usually Lilly was easy to assist, but she seemed pretty set in her decision, at this point. "Lilly, come on! He's taking the time to call you! At the very least, you can return the favor!"

Lilly shrugged again, pulling her feet up onto the couch and wrapping her arms around her legs. "I don't know…"

"Lilly," Grace interrupted firmly. "You're gonna call him. Okay?"

Lilly sighed, looked at the phone that Grace was holding out to her. She reached out and took it from the redhead, slowly opening it and found his number. She looked up once more at Grace, giving her an unsure smile, and Grace nodded encouragingly. She pressed send, and listened anxiously as his ringback tone played. She couldn't quite place what song it was, but it definitely sounded familiar. Suddenly, his outgoing message took over, and Lilly let out a sigh of relief, knowing that she wouldn't need to hold a conversation.

"_Yo yo YO! You've reached JOE! Just so you KNOW! I'm so here, SO! … Uhm, leave a message. Yeah, it doesn't rhyme… but you should still do it. Laterz, homies! … Wait… where's the poun-_"

Lilly giggled, and began talking once the beep sounded. She started out slow, but picked up as the message continued. Grace laughed, rolling her eyes at Lilly's sudden change of character. As Lilly continued to talk, Grace pulled out her own phone unnoticed and sent a quick text message.

_hey miley – got lilly to call him, shes leaving the msg right now. he sounds so cute!_

xxx

"Joe! Stop fooling around, we have to get this done!"

Joe groaned, running his fingers roughly through his hair. "Guys, c'mon! We've been at this for at least 3 hours!"

Nick gave him a glare, which quickly dissolved into laughter when he caught sight of the comical pout that had taken up residence on Joe's face. "Are you kidding? What's your rush?"

"You know he just wants to go check his phone, see if he missed a call from _Lilly_." Kevin laughed, raising an eyebrow at the second oldest Lucas.

Joe crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at the ground. He mumbled something, but the two boys couldn't understand what he said.

"I'm sorry, what?" Nick said, trying to contain more laughter. "I didn't quite catch that."

"I _said_," Joe replied, looked up and glaring at his younger brother. "So what if I do?"

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Fine. One more run-through, and then you're free to go obsess as much as you'd like." Joe smiled brightly and nodded, anxious to finish in the studio so that he could get to his phone as soon as possible.

The boys finished their last song and Joe took off, the studio door left swinging long after he had vacated the room.

He quickly found his jacket on a chair in the lobby and dug into the pockets, pulling out his iPhone after a few moments of frantic searching. He touched the screen a few times before his eyes widened, and he grinned excitedly. She called. She actually called. Joe took a deep breath, trying to tone down how excited he was truly feeling. He quickly dialed into his voicemail, and leaned back on the couch, the sound of her voice filling his head.

"_Uhm, hey… It's Lilly… I just figured I'd call you back. Cause you called me. So, uhm, I'm Lilly, which you know… I'm 16. I don't know… I'm not that interesting. Just your normal, everyday teenage girl. And yeah. So, gotta admit, if your middle name was Dangah, that would probably be the coolest thing ever. But you seem pretty cool anyways, so yeah… It's okay that it's not. So, uhm… what's up? I'm on break at work. I'm an ice cream scooper. It's… fun. My friends work here too, so yeah. It's fun. And I got unlimited texting! Wow, sorry, random. And, uhm… So, weird thing happened to me yesterday. I was driving, and I hit a rhino… A rhino! Okay, not really. A Webkin rhino came flying through the air and hit my windshield. Weird, huh? The little kid who accidentally threw it was cute though. But yeah. My weird fact for the day. Not that that kind of thing happens to me everyday… I mean, I guess sometimes. Life is kinda crazy. Uhm. Yeah. Okay, just realized how much I was rambling on. SO… I'm gonna go now. Uhm, I'll talk to you later? I guess…_"

Joe grinned, pulling phone away from his ear and turning it off. Kevin and Nick walked in just as he was putting it away, and Kevin laughed. "I take it she called?"

Joe looked up, nodding excitedly. "Oh yeah. She sounds…" He sighed, leaning back and giving them a lazy smile. "She sounds so awesome. I wish I knew her in real…" He sat up suddenly, his eyes widening.

"Why so excited?" Nick asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"I did meet her!" Joe jumped to his feet, bouncing a bit on the tips of his toes. "I met her!"

"What are you talking about?" Kevin asked, looking over at Nick. The youngest member of the band shrugged, and they both looked towards Joe, was now pacing and muttering incomprehensible words.

Joe looked up. "I did! I can't believe I didn't know it was her! She told me her name and everything!"

"Seriously, dude! What are you talking about?" Kevin reached out and grabbed his younger brother's shoulder, bringing him to a standstill.

"She was driving by, and Frankie was playing with his Webkinz. He wanted to prove to me that rhino's really do fly, but when he 'made it fly', it went out into the road and hit her windshield. We talked for a little bit, and she told me her name, but I didn't quite place it. How did I not place it?!" Nick shrugged, but before he could answer, Joe continued. "I mean, she was _right there_! And now I'll probably never see her again." He groaned, falling back down onto the couch.

"Pretty?" Nick asked, and Joe looked up at him, smiling softly.

"Like you wouldn't believe." He rested his elbows on his knees, his hands covering his face for a few seconds before pulling them back to run roughly through his dark locks. "She was so close…" He sighed, looking dejectedly down at the ground. "It's like…" He looked up, glancing at his brothers. "So close, yet way too far."


	5. Chapter 5

**sorry it's been so long! feel free to add me on twitter, annakayh, and bug me to update, if you want. I tend to be a bit forgetful, and I still have like, four chapters of MS typed up, ready to go. **

**Enjoy and review!  
**

* * *

MIXED SIGNALS

Ch 5

"No way. You seriously called?"

Lilly lifted her gaze nervously from the floor and nodded at her best friend, biting her lip. "Yeah. Is that a bad thing?"

Miley narrowed her eyes at Lilly, keeping quiet for a few seconds before a grin broke out onto her face, and she let out an amused laugh. "Of course not, Lilly! You made a move! Go you! How was it?"

Lilly giggled, her hand slipping into her hoodie pocket to finger the cell phone. It had become habit within the past few days for her to always have it on her, and she now never left home without it. He had only first called her four days ago, but now she couldn't imagine not having that connection with the mystery boy… even if it really was only a few phone messages. "It was… easier than I thought. Plus, I mean, I didn't have to talk to him. It was just his machine. And, I must say, his machine is a lot easier to talk to. It's a good conversation holder."

Miley rolled her eyes, waving her hand at the thought. "Whatever. You need to get over your irrational fear of hot guys. Some of them are nice!"

"Yeah, Miles, but a lot of the ones I've met… aren't. We don't really need to get into it, it's just… I don't want him to be like all of them. And right now, I have the perfect illusion of the perfect guy. Who actually seems to _like_ me. I don't want to ruin it by actually _talking_ to him."

Miley laughed, rolling her eyes again. "Sure, Lilly. Whatever you say. Just let this potentially amazing relationship never get off the ground because _someone_ is too worried about what may or may not happen. Fine. Be that way."

"Miles!" Lilly exclaimed, verging on a whine. "Stop it! It's not like-" A buzzing in Lilly's pocket interrupted her, and her eyes widened, fingers tightening around the offending object.

"Call?" Miley asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lilly shook her head. "No. Text."

"From?"

Lilly pulled it out of her pocket, a slow smile gracing her face as she read the flashing screen. "Joe." She giggled, blushing lightly as she looked back up at the brunette. "Never got a text from him before."

"So?" Miley nudged Lilly's shoulder, laughing. "Read it! C'mon, Lils, it's just a text."

"Yeah, from an incredibly attractive sounding guy! I'd say that's something to write home about!"

"Well, I'd say that's something to read. So, you know… Just read it, okay? Or else I'll have to do it for you. Again." Miley went to reach for the phone, but the blonde pulled it from her grasp at the last minute.

"No! Wait, no. I can do it. Really."

Lilly! Don't be such a worrier! It's just a text!" Miley rolled her eyes yet again. "Are you sure you don't need me to do it for you? Awe you too scahw'd?" Her tone of voice suddenly took on a strong babying sound, and Lilly narrowed her eyebrows at her friend, gripping the phone tightly.

"Thanks Miles. You're a big help." She glared at her, somewhat jokingly, before looking back down at her phone. She flipped it open, pressing a few buttons before reading the text. Her grin grew, and she seemed to zone out for a moment before pulling back to reality, sliding the phone over so Miley could read it as well.

_unltd texting, huh? weeeell, might as well put it to use! sooo… whats up lillayy? by the way, thanks for calling_

Miley laughed, handing the phone back to Lilly. "He's too cute. You gonna respond?"

"Uhm, yeah? I mean, I should, right? What do I say?" Lilly's freak out began again, and Miley reached out, gripping her shoulder tightly in an attempt to calm her down.

"Lils. He asked what's up. Why don't you just go from there?" Miley laughed as a look of understanding crossed her best friend's face.

"Oh. Yeah, well… Yeah." She blushed again, opening the phone, and she began to type, her fingers quickly flying across the keypad. A moment later, she held the phone out so Miley could see the screen. "Do you think this okay?"

"It's a text, Lil. I'm sure it's fine," Miley replied, but looked over to check.

_hey joe :) not much. work soon, but w/ friends, so itll be fun. thats pretty much it i guess. you?_

"Like I said, Lil. Just a text. It's fine." Miley grinned and grabbed the phone, pressing 'Send' as Lilly cried out. "Wait! Miley, no! It's not good!"

"Too late!" Miley giggled, handing her the phone. "But seriously. It was fine. Get over it. And come on, we're gonna be late, and Dan's gonna dock on your paycheck, cause you're late, what… every day?" She looked up at the digital clock above the oven, which read _12:45. _Their shift was scheduled to begin at one, but everyone at With a Cherry On Top knew that Lilly Truscott _never_ arrived on time.

"Not _every _day!" Lilly scoffed, grabbing her keys off the tabletop and slipping her phone back into her pocket. "Just… most days." She laughed, shrugging. "What can you do? But come on, maybe I'll actually make it semi on time today. You know, mix it up a bit."

Miley shook her head. "You're something, you know that?"

"Yup!" Lilly exclaimed, slinging an arm around the brunette's shoulders and leading her out the front door and over to her car. "That's why I'm your bestest friend in the whole wide world!"

"Yeah," Miley replied sarcastically, laughing at Lilly's carefree attitude. "Something like that."

xxx

"Dan, look! I'm two minutes early!" Lilly's voice rang through the back room at With a Cherry On Top as she pushed through the doors marked 'Employees Only' with Miley right behind her.

"Only 'cause I dragged her in!" Miley added, and Dan, sticking a head out of the manager's office, nodded knowingly.

"Of course. Because Miley's a good worker, and Lilly's our little slacker!"

"Hey!" Lilly exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. "I… I…"

"You can't deny it, Lilly," Dan interrupted, laughing loudly. "Don't worry! Everyone loves you here. It's all good."

"Whatever," Lilly grumbled, sticking her tongue out at Dan as she walked past him and into the employee lounge, dropping of her sweatshirt and car keys. "I love my job here! It's sooo great!" She put emphasis on her words, to the point of gushing, about her job, and she looked over at Dan, who was having trouble containing his laughter.

"Are you mocking me, Truscott?" He tilted back in his chair, raising an eyebrow as he waited for her response.

Lilly shook her head emphatically. "No way, Johnson! I'd never do that!" Dan laughed as Lilly smiled innocently at him before opening the door into the kitchen. She walked by Alex, Grace's boyfriend, who was ringing up a customer. "Hey 'zander!"

"'illian," he replied, nodding at her over his shoulder. "Three forty six is your change, have a nice day!" He handed the young boy at the counter his money before pulling the screen shut and turning to face Lilly, who was leaning into her hip, arms crossed. "What?"

"'illian? Seriously?"

"What? You call me 'zander! I figured I had to give you some sort of shortened version of your name too! And Lillian doesn't shorten that well, so… we get 'illian!" Alex nodded definitively, and Lily rolled her eyes, laughing.

"Sure, 'lex, whatever you say. But now know that I'm gonna find annoying ways to shorten your name all the time. If there's a way, 'ander, I'll find it." Lilly laughed, pointing menacingly at the teen boy before turning to the sink and turning on the faucet, sticking her hands under the running water. "I'm only here for three hours today, 'zan, but that's definitely enough time for me to annoying the living daylights out of you. Mhm!"

"Living daylights? C'mon, 'ill, it's 2008! Who says that any more?"

Lilly mock glared at Alex, sighing in annoyance. "_I_ do, Al. Got a problem with it?" She took a step towards the tall boy, who looked down at her in amusement.

"You seriously think you'd be able to do anything about it?" Lilly placed her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow and taking another step towards Alex before Miley burst into the room, groaning at the scene in front of her. "Guys! It's just names! Get over it! Besides, we have customers!"

"Listen to Miley!" Dan yelled from where he was working in the office. "She's the only voice of reason in this insane asylum."

"Dan! It's an ice cream shop!" Lilly exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "Plus, we're all AWESOME here! You know that!"

"CUSTOMERS, Lilly!"

"Jeez, I'm going, I'm going. Don't get our knickers in a twist, Dan."

"Knickers? Knickers in a twist?" Alex interrupted, laughing. "Seriously, 'lian?

xxx

"What time are supposed to be there, Nick?" Kevin asked, looking into his rearview mirror and at his younger brother sitting in the backseat.

"Four… four thirty." Nick shrugged. "We've got, like, half an hour to kill. Any ideas?"

Kevin shrugged. "I don't really care. There are no Starbucks around here anyways." He furrowed his eyebrows. "Whatever."

Nick leaned forward between the two front seats. "Joe?"

"Huh?" The middle Lucas turned to look at him, slightly confused. "What?"

"Any ideas as to what to do? We have half an hour before we have to be at the studio for the interview."

Joe tilted his head for a moment. "Uhm… I don't know…" He turned back to the window, looking out and watching the buildings pass by quickly. An ice cream shop was approaching on his side of the car, and his mind immediately wandered to 'Phone Girl'. Lilly. A lazy smile found it's way onto his face, and he peered out the window. Suddenly, his eyes widened and his hand shot out, grabbing the steering wheel of the car.

"What the hell, Joseph!" Kevin exclaimed, wrenching his arm away. "I'm driving!"

"It's her! It's her! Kevin, turn the freaking car around!"

"What are you talking about?!" Kevin pulled over onto the shoulder of the road, hazard lights blinking, and turned in his seat, looking incredulously at his younger brother. "What was that about?!"

"Lilly! I saw her! I swear! Kevin, just turn the car around, or… or… or I'll do it for you!" Joe reached over, grabbing the wheel once again, and Kevin pushed his hands away.

"Chill, Joe! Jeez, what has gotten into you? Calm down, I'll turn the car around." Kevin rolled his eyes, giving Joe an odd look, and pulled onto the road, turning around and traveling back in the direction of the ice cream shop.

"With a Cherry On Top! That's it!" Joe pointed out the front windshield, reaching across Kevin.

"Okay, okay! Calm down!" Kevin pulled into the parking lot, and Joe was out of the car before the eldest brother was able to pull the key out of the ignition. Joe sprinted across the parking lot and around the building, out of sight of his brothers.

Nick got out of the car, rolling his eyes toward Kevin, and the two followed Joe's path. They weren't sure where he went, but it wasn't hard to find him. He looked a bit flustered, and three girls were standing in front of him, keeping him from his goal.

"Joe Lucas… no way!" the oldest exclaimed, obviously the most ecstatic. Joe grinned, keeping celebrity cool even though under the surface, he was freaking out due to the fact that Lilly, his phone girl, was only yards away.

Nick and Kevin walked up to the group, and the girls' freak out increased tenfold.

"Hey girls…" Kevin said, laughing inside. He knew it must be killing Joe to not be at the window, talking to this Lilly girl face to face. "I take it… you're fans?"

"Uh huh…" The middle girl nodded slowly, her mouth agape as she looked up in awe at Kevin.

"I'm Deni," the first girl spoke up, "and that's Cayce and Emilie. And yeah, we're _huge_ fans. I can't believe we're meeting you guys!" She squealed, her focus still on Joe.

The girl who had been entranced by Kevin, now introduced as Cayce, spoke up again. "Seriously!" She nodded again, more vigorously this time.

Emilie smiled at the boys, the oldest and youngest who seemed to be into meeting their fans, and the middle boy who seemed a bit detached from the scenario. "If it's not to much to ask… Can we, you know… take a picture? Or get an autograph or something? Cause, yeah, this is kinda unbelievable."

Nick laughed, running his fingers through his thick curls. "Of course! We love our fans, right guys?"

"Definitely," replied Kevin, grinning. Joe nodded absentmindedly, and Nick rolled his eyes. "Don't mind him, girls. He's a little… _off_ today."

Deni laughed. "Don't worry. We still love him!" Nick and Kevin laughed, and Joe cracked a smile.

"So, a picture?" Joe asked, and Emilie nodded. "Yeah, if, you know, you wouldn't mind."

"'Course not!" Kevin replied. The girls quickly took their pictures with the boys of Jonas, and the boys signed some things for them, conversation continuing the entire time.

"It was great meeting you guys!" Nick exclaimed, hugging them. "Hopefully we'll see you around sometime!"

Deni grinned. "For sure! You guys are awesome. Thanks for, you know… taking the time to do all this with us. Definitely will never forget this day!"

Deni, Cayce and Emilie waved and walked away, giggling and whispering, a few looks tossed over their shoulders in the direction of the boys.

"They were nice…" Kevin said, turned to face his brothers, but found only Nick. He gave his younger brother a questioning look, and he shrugged. "Ran off the second the girls started walking away."

Kevin shook his head. "That girl has him wrapped around her finger… and he's never even met her!"

xxx

Joe reached the ice cream window, out of breath from running, and leaned it, attempting to get the attention of the brunette girl working. "'Scuse me?"

Miley turned around, grinning when she saw Joe Lucas at the window. She opened her mouth, but closed it abruptly when she realized that saying 'hey Joe, what's up?' might put her in an awkward position, considering that he didn't know Hannah's secret. Instead, she put on her 'work smile', and walked up to the window. "Hi, can I help you?"

"Is Lilly… Lilly… Lilly, blonde Lilly, is she here?"

Miley winced, instantly feeling bad for the boy who seemed so urgent. "I'm really sorry, but she just left about five minutes ago. Her shift just ended." She shrugged, smiling sadly at Joe.

Joe's mouth dropped open, and he shook his head. "No way. Nuh uh. There is no way I missed her. Not again."


End file.
